The Jakarta Post, 1/23/2007 11:00:26 AM
Police hunt for militants after deadly raid
POSO, Central Sulawesi (AP): Police searched jungles on Tuesday in their hunt for
suspected Islamic militants blamed for a string of attacks on Christians, a day after
13 alleged terrorists andone officer were killed in a gunbattle with security forces on
Sulawesi Island.
The raid on the conflict-ridden Indonesian Island was a sharp escalation in the fight
against terrorists in the world's most populous Muslim nation. Police said they only
shot the men aftercoming under attack.
Central Sulawesi Police chief Brig. Gen. Badrodin Haiti said he believed more than 50
other militants had escaped Monday's raid in the seaside town of Poso and had fled
to nearby hills and jungles.
"They are dangerous because they still have automatic weapons and ammunition," he
told The Associated Press. "We are searching for them."
Most of Indonesia's 190 million Muslims practice a moderate form of the faith, but
terrorists have gained a foothold in recent years, carrying out a string of deadly
terrorist attacks that have left scores dead.
Many have set up base on Sulawesi Island, the scene of bloody fighting between
Muslim and Christian gangs six years ago that left at least 1,000 people from both
faiths dead. Islamic extremists have been blamed for sporadic bombings, shootings
andother attacks since then.
Security forces have carried out several operations on Sulawesi against Muslim
militants they had publicly accused of being behind the attacks. Senior officers made
public calls for the men to turn themselves in and met with local hard-line
Muslimleaders to try and enlist their help, but had no success. (***)
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